This is the second installment of Amy Morgan’s three-part webinar series that focuses on our life’s struggles and stresses. The first part talked about pre-prevention when it comes to managing our stress and preventing thoughts of suicide. This session discusses that part when a person already has suicide ideation and is actively contemplating it.

Amy Morgan is the Founder and Director of Academy Hour, a training provider offering mental health & leadership courses to law enforcement and first responders. She also founded the Certified First Responder Counselor Training & Certification Program.

Points tackled on this course include:

• Facts and figures from the World Health Organization, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Dr. Thomas Joiner’s suicidology lab that demonstrates the prevalence of suicide.
• What most of us recognize as a valid reason to commit suicide.
• Hidden human struggles: Our tendency to conceal difficulties from others and the reasons behind this.
• How a person with suicide ideation tends to perceive that they are alone despite having people around them who are willing to listen and help.
• The difference between a suicidal mind and a non-suicidal point of view and how it affects a person’s perception and decisions.
• Understanding that suicide is never selfish as the person with suicide ideation sees that their mere existence is a burden to others and their death will do more good.
• How suicide takes time to decide upon and requires mental and emotional preparation to overcome the fear of pain, suffering, and death itself.
• The higher rates of suicide in law enforcement and first responders driven by the nature of their work where they have access to a weapon and have learned to overcome the fear of danger.
• Factors that can increase the risk of suicide ideation like genetic predisposition, learned behaviors, mental disorders and illnesses, and personality characteristics.
• What causes a person to reach the brink that they start having thoughts about suicide.
• The different stressors that we may be faced with at any given time.
• How the stressors aggravated by pain, loss, helplessness, hopelessness, feeling like a burden, and wanting the pain to end can evolve into thoughts of suicide.
• Things to watch out for that may serve as red flags that a person is contemplating suicide.
• Tips on how to best engage with a person manifesting these warning signs.
• Resources that we can provide connect an individual with to get professional help.

Questions raised by the audience concerned:

• Looking out for one another in time of social distancing and isolation brought about by COVID-19.
• Why it is recommended to directly ask about thoughts of suicide.
• How failed suicide attempts put a person at a higher risk of suicide.
• How insisting a person to share how they truly feel and what their struggles are is the first step to saving a life.
• Helping a suicidal person to get the help they need.
• How a community’s resources and background play a part in the pervasiveness of its suicide rates.
• Maximizing the different means in which help and support may be extended to community members.

This is the first of a three-part series. Join us for:

• Part 1: Pre-Prevention: Staying ahead of the Struggle
• Part 2: Suicide Explained: What Leads Someone to that Moment (this webinar)
• Part 3 – June 2: Challenge Yourself to Change Your Life

Resources Mentioned during the Webinar

• Myths about Suicide by Thomas Joiner
• Why People Die by Suicide by Thomas Joiner

Audience Comments

• “Very informative. I’m grateful that the webinars are available to us. Keep up the good work! — Anna
• Resources provided was valuable. As a clinician, listening in and obtaining reminders of the importance of active listening was beneficial.” — Barbara
• “This was the best and most significant webinar I’ve attended. It explained clearly why law enforcement personnel have higher rates of suicide with their learned fearlessness and access to means of suicide. Thank you!!” — Kari
• “I liked the list of ‘Burden-Hopelessness-Alone’ as an outline of what goes into suicidal thought. I am a/the counselor in a county detention and participate in the new employee training. Love the analogy of holding the book stack of books. I want to use that in my training.” — Barbara
• “It was all good information and very well presented. All of the JCH webinars that I have participated in are excellent. Thank you!” — Jennifer
• “The author was very well versed on her subject matter. Well done!” — KIM
• “Amy was great. Lots of good information. I liked that she kept focusing on perspective. Also enjoyed the suggestions with how to listen to those and not problem solve. As a professional, it is hard not to immediately try and fix something.” — Kimberly